(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 31 December 2018, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.21)
When Srila Prabhupada started the Sunday love feast, there were about fifteen preparations where each one was outstanding. There was nothing ordinary, everything was special. In the Lilamrtra, it is said that Satsvarupa wanted to be renounced. So when Prabhupada was serving out and asked, “Any seconds?”, Satsvarupa did not want to say “More sweet rice!“, so he instead said, “Just some rice please.” But even the sweet rice had little cheese balls in it and cashews and all kinds of other incredible things. Even that rice was like yummy rice to have; so filled with devotion!
The Sunday love feast was basically like this: one would come to the Sunday feast, load up the packages, store it in the fridge and it would last till Thursday. On Friday, it was a miserable day. But Saturday there was hope because the Sunday love feast was just around the corner again. Devotees who joined the temple would live from Sunday feast to Sunday feast; the only reason they did not leave was because devotees would say, “You are not going to miss the Sunday feast? Are you? You could not do that!”
So this was Prabhupada’s generosity and it was his way of purchasing people – all this amazing prasadam, all for free, taking as much as you want. And this made people indebted and it created an attitude of service within those people. This is the way to preach and this is the way to convince and cultivate new devotees. This is the way that people will actually take up Krsna consciousness – through generosity. Otherwise why else would they take it?